What We Saw: Week 9 2018

Chargers vs. Seahawks

Chargers

This win in Seattle has proven to the rest of the NFL that the Chargers are legitimate contenders this year. The talent on this team is overflowing and the fantasy production has followed. Below I will recap the fantasy relevant performances from this game.

Melvin Gordon: Fantasy Star

RB Melvin Gordon sat out week seven due to a hamstring injury and thankfully the Chargers had a bye in week eight so he could get extra rest. On Sunday he looked to be in the best shape of his career, really proving the nickname of “Flash Gordon”. When the holes opened up for him he was gashing the Seahawks by simply sprinting past most of the defense. He finished with 113 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. When healthy, Gordon is as good as they come. Within this offense he gets plenty of touches as well as scoring opportunities.

Philip Rivers for MVP?

The MVP discussion is heating up as we have crossed the halfway mark of the season. QB Philip Rivers should be in the discussion as he continues to have a career year. While other candidates have been better this season, it is important to highlight how well Rivers has played. Against the Seahawks his surface stats do not represent how well Rivers actually played. His touchdown pass to WR Tyrell Williams was one of the most perfect passes you will ever see. For fantasy purposes this week does not look amazing but his performance remains high, which should be encouraging moving forward.

Keenan Allen cannot find the end zone

My preview called for a breakout for WR Keenan Allen that included a touchdown. While Allen had a fantastic game, he once again did not score. He was by far the highest graded player on the Chargers this week (according to Pro Football Focus) as he came up big in an important game. Allen owners might be frustrated but he remains the highest targeted, arguably most important non-QB on this roster. Like WR Julio Jones that touchdown will come eventually, we just have to be patient.

The Williams Debate

Every week I have to write about these two receivers and every week there is no clarity. They both saw three targets. They both scored. They both played well. WR Mike Williams or WR Tyrell Williams could both be legitimate fantasy studs if they saw more targets but the simple fact is that they are not. Even if they are playing extremely well, they are both looking at five or less targets a week which is not enough to trust either of them. They both have found the endzone quite a bit this year, which is probably not that sustainable. This game looks a lot better on paper than it should for these receivers.

The Defense Stepped Up

Do not let the final score confuse you. The Chargers defense played exceptionally well against the Seahawks. With about six minutes left the Seahawks had only 10 points and QB Russell Wilson was shut down all game. CB Desmond King has built on a solid, mostly unnoticed rookie season and has played incredible this year. His pick-six virtually ended the game and capped off a great fantasy week for this defense. CB Casey Hayward Jr. also played well again, allowing only two catches for 14 yards. The secondary talent on this team makes them dangerous for any team and this game showed that. Keep rolling with the Chargers Defense.

-Stephen Dudas

Seahawks

Seattle’s streak of five straight well-played games came to an end against the Chargers on Sunday, when they fell to 4-4 after losing 25-17. An excellent opening drive was about all Seattle managed on the day, and it was not a great day for their guys in fantasy formats.

Russell Wilson looked very human

Wilson followed his nearly perfect performance in Week 8 with a stinker this past Sunday. He finished the game completing 26-of-39 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, along with his third career pick-six. Seattle fell behind early, forcing them to play from behind and throw the ball much more than they would have liked to. Wilson is normally capable of airing it out, but he just didn’t have it on Sunday. I’m stubbornly sticking with Wilson as a QB1, although an upcoming matchup against the Rams in LA is less than ideal.

Chris Carson and the run game

The Seattle Seahawks only got about a half out of Carson on Sunday, as the hip injury that had bothered him all week flared up and limited him. He finished with just eight carries for 40 yards. Mike Davis filled in very admirably, leading the team with 62 yards on the ground and seven receptions for 45 yards. Davis has looked excellent in the playing time he has received this year, but he is behind Carson on the depth chart and shouldn’t be trusted unless Carson is out for an extended period. Rookie Rashaad Penny got some run as well, carrying four times for 11 yards and hauling in three receptions for 13 more. He is not a big enough factor to be rostered in most formats.

Doug Baldwin revenge game?

Sort of. Baldwin led the receivers with four receptions (on four targets) for 77 yards, including a nice 42-yard gain. However, TE Nick Vannett, Mike Davis and fellow receiver David Moore were all targeted more than Baldwin. He’s a tough one to trust in fantasy formats right now.

It was a tough game for Seattle’s other receivers, as Tyler Lockett only had two receptions for 22 yards and David Moore had two receptions on seven targets for 16 yards, including a potential game-tying touchdown that he dropped.

Tight end battle rages on

Most expected Ed Dickson to take over as Seattle’s primary tight end option now that he is healthy. However, Dickson was only on the field for 25 snaps on Sunday, getting just one target that he couldn’t haul in. Meanwhile, Nick Vannett was on the field for 48 snaps, and received six receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Vannett may be worth a dart-throw for teams in desperate need of a tight end. However, Seattle’s run-heavy approach and two tight end formatting make him a high-risk play.

-Andy Patton